A WELCOME OASIS

“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water”.

Ex 15:27 NIV

All travellers welcome a break along the way, even if they are being transported by bus, plane, train or car. They welcome it even more when they are self-propelled by walking or cycling, or on horseback. In the days when long distance travel was in horse-drawn coaches the inns of England were strategically situated so that they could change the horses when they had done their turn.

The oasis called Elim was situated further south down the Sinai Peninsula from Marah. The story doesn’t tell us how long it took them to get there. But Elim, with its (comparatively speaking) five star facilities would not be somewhere they would be in a hurry to leave behind. One imagines Moses would have had a hard job persuading them to move on. Since they took forty years to get to Canaan, it could even be that they had a fairly lengthy stay at Elim. But it was a natural stopover spot, a gift of God. The people would have had time to reflect on God and his provision of water, and maybe fresh food.

You need Elims in your spiritual journey too. Many Christian disciples will find that their Sunday worship time is a real oasis, especially if the going from Monday to Saturday is a tough haul. For others it will be their fellowship group, Bible Study group, or their quiet time with God in Bible reading and prayer. God provides Elims for you. Going on an annual retreat might well be another resting and watering stop, spiritually speaking. You should avail yourself of as many Elims as you can.

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, let me find spiritual oases to sustain me along the way.

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